2013 Blue Diamond Stakes Second Declarations Leave 161

There are 161 juveniles remaining in contention for the prestigiousBlue Diamond Stakes 2013 this Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival after second declarations for February’s million dollar feature were taken by Racing Victoria on Wednesday.

Magic Millions Classic fancy Clevadude is one of the top 2013 Blue Diamond Stakes second acceptors

The number of two-year-olds heading towards the 43rd edition $1 million Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m), scheduled to run at Caulfield Racecourse on February 23, was cut from 506 at first declaration stage to 161 today which is down four from this stage last year.

David Hayes, vying for his sixth Blue Diamond winner, remains the best represented trainer in the Blue Diamond Stakes 2013 second declarations with 19 hopefuls, down from his 47 first acceptors.

Following Hayes in the numbers’ department is then reigning winning trainer the local Caulfield based Mick Price, who won with smart More Than Ready filly Samaready last autumn, with 16 hopefuls.

Also well represented is Victoria’s Peter Moody with 12, the rest of the trainers all with 10 entries or less.

Last year’s winning sire More Than Ready has now surpassed Fastnet Rock as the best represented sire in the Blue Diamond entries this year with 12 of his prodigy still in line for the million dollar pay day.

Other top sires saturating the entries include Fastnet Rock (9) and Northern Meteor (9) followed by Bel Esprit, Exceed And Excel, Stratum, Redoute’s Choice and Choisir with seven apiece.

A number of promising horses that run in this Saturday’s $2 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) in Queensland are also among the Blue Diamond Stakes second acceptors including the undefeated Rick Hore-Lacy-trained Clevadude, and the Gai Waterhouse-trained duo of Sweet Idea who was second in the Group 3 BJ McLachlan Stakes last time out and Wyong Magic Millions Classic fourth placed Certitude.

Waterhouse has a total of 10 Blue Diamond entries still in the mix.

Meanwhile notable youngsters not originally nominated that will be required to pay the hefty $55,000 late entry fee include Moody’s Bel Esprit filly Diamond Glow and Daniel Clarken’s Morpehttville-based Miracles Of Life – both of whom won races in their respective states in impressive fashion last Saturday.

Not A single Doubt filly Miracles Of Life may be small in stature but she blew away her competition by at Morphettville last Saturday thrashing the Moody-trained Midnight Rule by nine lengths and Clarken indicated they would be paying the late entry before the January 29 deadline.

“That’s looking like the way we’ll be going,” Clarken said.

“Everyone was saying we have to have a go.”

Notable omissions from the second acceptors then include Darley’s top hope Safeguard, the Exceed And Excel colt having won their debut at Flemington on December 22, and another Not A Single Doubt prodigy in Shaun Dwyer’s Bendigo filly Villa Verde, winner of the Listed 7News Plate down the Flemington straight on Melbourne Cup Day, who will both bypass the Diamond going instead straight to the $3.5 million Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) in Sydney on April 6, 2013.

Darley and head trainer Peter Snowden meanwhile are still holding a strong hand for the Diamond with the impressive Montsegur, yet to be paid up for, expected to be at the top of the futures Blue Diamond Stakes betting markets along with Miracles Of Life and Diamond Glow when odds are out at the end of the month.

2013 Blue Diamond Stakes third declarations close at midday (AEDT) on January 29, 2013.

Stay tuned to Races.com.au for all the latest on the Melbourne autumn races including the Blue Diamond Stakes 2013.

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